The ex-Nokia team responsible for the abandoned MeeGo open source OS project has launched the first Sailfish-based smartphone.

Called the Jolla (pronounced "yolla") after the Finnish company that developed it, the handset has a 4.5-inch screen, a dual-core processor, 16GB of storage expandable via microSD, 4G compatibility and an 8MP camera.

Once MeeGo was abandoned by Nokia its developers took it to the Linux development community where it became Mer, which Jolla developed into Sailfish.

Jolla claims Sailfish is Android compliant, but as yet has not confirmed exactly what that means in terms of downloadable apps for the new platform.

"It's a question of agreeing with whoever the partners are that the user can download the application from 'app store X'," Jolla CEO Tomi Pienimäki told ZDNet.

Jolla spokes people also spoke of a custom case called "OtherHalf", which not only changes the look and feel of the phone's exterior, but also changes the OS interface.

"There's a chip on the OtherHalf and when you put that on the phone it affects the software side of the device. That's why we avoid calling it a cover," said Pienimäki.

Jolla's core team was part of the development unit behind the Nokia N9, which proved popular with diehard Nokia fans, but analysts have yet to comment on how this small group may translate into wide-scale uptake of the new handsets, which are expected to retail for EUR399.